Kristen Bicknell grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia singing songs about respecting Mother Nature and recycling. Her childhood soundtrack led to her pursue a B.A. in Humanities, Science and Environment from Virginia Tech where she examined the role that science plays in the environment through the lens of ethics, humanities and politics, to understand how we affect both environmental challenges and solutions. Prior to joining the Ocean Conservancy team, she worked at The Nature Conservancy on gift planning and trustee engagement. Kristen serves as a philanthropy officer at Ocean Conservancy, where she engages with individuals across the country on the organization’s work and accomplishments they make possible.  She currently lives in Washington, D.C. and enjoys regularly escaping the city to swim and hike. One of her most thrilling ocean adventures was snorkeling into a bloom of thousands of jellyfish—luckily she made it out without a single sting!

Favorite ocean animal: The largest fish in the sea—the whale shark! Slow and steady, these docile giants swim in warm, tropical waters and grow as long as 40 feet and weigh up to 20,000 pounds. With their unique spotted and striped pattern, blunt snouts and large mouths, they are easy to identify and even easier to love!